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The View From Here

The time has come for us to move on to our next adventure! We are leaving the boat and the live aboard life … shocked? Me too!

I’ll get to the why’s and wherefores in a second, but first let me tell ya all what’s going on. We are moving our little family back to the prairies where I’m from. This will be back to my family … and my roots. This is back to the life, land and people that I am familiar with. It’s like going home to the comfort of ‘mom’s cooking’ both literally and figuratively. lol. My children (and the grandparents,) are ecstatic. I’m looking forward to a new path and my wife is definitely looking forward to this new direction we are taking. We’ve loved our time on the boat, but we are equally looking forward to new things (farming maybe?) and having some new experiences in a different part of the world. The prairies are pretty much as far as you can get from water here in Canada, although I always found that looking at a flat water horizon reminded me of the prairie wheat fields waving in the hazy summer breeze. However, boating is in our blood now … plus that land stuff is so disconcertingly stable – no give in it at all! It’s gonna be strange, but I’m sure we’ll adjust somehow.

This was not a decision that came quickly or easily. It is actually a combination of factors that added up to this new direction. I don’t want to share too much of our private life, but here are some key points that we considered:

children growing and showing signs that they needed space to explore

ageing parents: we wanted our children to experience the joy of grandparents while everyone was still healthy and able

wanderlust: If you have it, you know what I’m talking about – if you don’t, it’s hard to explain

the need for a change of scenery (see wanderlust.)

a business opportunity that recently opened for me out there

several business doors that closed for me here

a desire to get out of the city and back into the country (Both my wife and I are small town kids.)

So my wife and I sat down and went through these many points and factors and decided a move was the best option. This is the very same sort of decision process that people who are thinking of moving aboard should do: add up all the factors, pro’s and con’s and then decide what is the best course of action. It’s advice that I’ve given dozens of times to people who have emailed asking questions about moving aboard a boat.

We are selling our boat.

If you were ever thinking of moving aboard a boat in Toronto or the surrounding areas, this is the perfect boat! Yes, this is a bit of a sales pitch, but it could also be the answer for someone looking to take the live aboard leap.

The boat is a 40′ River Queen house boat. All steel = heavy and stable. Lot’s of living space and all the common comforts that I believe a live aboard should have. These include:

space to sprawl out and wrestle with the kids … build a fort … or just to relax after a hard day at work = as the commercial says: priceless!

… basically all the stuff you expect to have if you live in a house. You see, my thoughts have changed a bit over time on the topic of creature comforts. I used to think that you can live life without all the extra’s, and I still believe that to be true for a while. But for someone living primarily at a dock, there is absolutely no reason not to have all the things that will make us comfortable. It makes the trade off (lack of space) much easier to deal with in the long term. Sure, if cost is an issue, then a boat without a lot of this stuff is still very doable and can be very comfortable. However, for a newbie especially if one was not used to an ‘outdoors’ type of life, the more comforts you have the easier the transition will be.

The boat is literally 21 mins from Union Station via Go Train which means you can leave downtown Toronto and be sitting on the upper deck of your floating cottage with a cold drink in 1/2 an hour! Whether you want to live aboard year round, or just hang out on the ‘dock of the bay’ after a long day at work, this boat in this marina is the ideal setup!

Here are some pictures of our boat:

There she is in all her beauty!

Prime Summer hangout area!

The Helm and Nav area. Note the prairie scene on the monitor ... lol.

Nice bright kitchen with all the stuff to make good eats!

Full shower - with hot water!

Good night moon.

This did not work very well - but this gives an idea of the cabin (Bedroom.)

Please do not email me with questions about the boat. All those should be addressed to Jack our broker from North Lakes Yachting. He can be reached by Email or by phone at 905-891-8207. A shout out to Slavek and Jack and the staff at North Lakes – if you ever wanted a live aboard boat or a great bluewater ocean cruiser (Delphia Yachts) these are the people to deal with!

I will still continue to answer emails about living aboard. If you have questions about living on a boat or about decisions and decisions making, feel free to hit me with ‘em. I’m a little slow on the email replies right now as I’m working mostly from a tablet, but I will try to reply in a more timely manner than I have been.

I hope you all enjoyed our lifelog here and I hope that our living on a boat inspires exploration and adventure in your own life! When we get going on our new adventure I’ll put something up here … until then, fair winds and happy trails!

Comments on "Leaving the Boat": 4 Comments

Ruth Bourquin wrote,

Sounds as though you are about ready to hit the road west. Am sure you’ll all be glad to be together again.
Have enjoyed your blog, Strathy. It’s been an great experience for all of you, and I know you have enjoyed it immensely. Looks like you have weighed out all the pros and cons, and it’s nice to see them in print. Great communication! Thanks.
Trust the sale goes well. Safe travels. Love to you, Ruth